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Frida Kahlo’s ‘El Sueño (La Cama)’ Sells for $54.7 Million at Sotheby’s, Setting Record for a Woman Artist

The result signals renewed market confidence in women Surrealists.

Image
FILE - Self portraits by artist Frida Kahlo, titled from left, "Self Portrait with Braids", 1941, "Self Portrait with Monkeys", 1943, and "Self Portrait with Small Monkey", 1945, are displayed as part of the exhibition "Frida & Diego: Passion Politics and Painting", at the High Museum in Atlanta, Feb. 8, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
FILE - A painting by Frida Kahlo titled "El sueño (La cama)" or (The Dream (The Bed), is displayed at Sotheby's auction rooms in London, Sept. 19, 2025. The painting, estimated at 40-60 million US dollars, is part of a collection of surrealist masterpieces unveiled ahead of its upcoming sale in New York. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
A painting by Frida Kahlo called El sueño (La cama) is displayed at Sotheby's auction rooms, the painting estimated at 40-60 million US dollars is part of a collection of surrealist masterpieces unveiled in London ahead of their sale in New York, Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Overview

  • The 1940 self-portrait sold in New York on Nov. 20 during Sotheby’s Surrealism sale after an international preview tour.
  • The price eclipsed Georgia O’Keeffe’s $44.4 million record and surpassed Kahlo’s prior auction high of $34.9 million set in 2021.
  • The lot hammered at $47 million before fees, with Anna Di Stasi bidding by phone on behalf of an undisclosed buyer.
  • The painting was consigned from a private collection reported as the Selma Ertegun estate, a notable case since many Kahlo works in Mexico cannot be exported.
  • Sotheby’s says the work has been requested for upcoming museum exhibitions, including the Tate Modern iteration following its pre-sale tour through London, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Paris, and New York.